Colliding Universes
by thoughts-of-a-dying-realist
Summary: Dan and Phil go on numerous adventures in different universes. (It's one of these 'put-my-music-on-shuffle-and-go-wild-with-the-writing' things, but each chapter is important to the plot. TW: there's dying, but not for real).
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Okay, so, I haven't uploaded in a looong while, cause I've gone through a lot of fandoms lately and I've been hella busy with school. This story took me a while and I am so damn proud of it. It might be nothing that special, but all the effort I put in it was so worth it. I really hope you enjoy it. There is dying in here, but like not really - I mean , no one really dies. It's complicated, but you'll get it once you start reading. The Prologue is in Dan's POV, then chapter 1,2,3 in Phil's; then 4,5,6 in Dan's; 7,8,9 in Phil's again and the Epilogue is in Dan's. I promise, the chapters aren't as short as the Prologue, and it gets better with each chapter. Thank you for opening this stroy. Enjoy!

"All you do is steal my cereal and walk around the house in your pyjamas, doing nothing!" Dan shouted at Phil, anger soaking his words.

"Oh, yeah? You think _this_ is what I do the whole day? You have no idea how busy I am! All I see _you_ do is sit on the couch with your laptop on your lap, browsing through the internet!" Phil was usually the calm one from the two, but this was just too much.

"You don't even know what I'm doing! It's called _working_ , Phil! Wait, come back here this instant!"

But it was too late – Phil was already out of the lounge and Dan could hear the slamming of his friend's bedroom door. That sobered him a little – Phil hadn't been _that_ angry in years. Maybe their busy schedules were really getting to them. Dan let out a loud sigh and made his way to Phil's door. There, he hesitated – why should he be the one to apologize? He wasn't the only one shouting, after all. It was as much his fault as Phil's. Dan took a step back and went into his own room, closing the door behind his back loud enough, so Phil'd hear.


	2. Muse - Mercy

Phil was running through the small streets of the city in the desert, trying his best to hide from the mages. If they caught him, it'll all be over too quick. Being a thief isn't a fairy tale, especially having to do it for a living.

As he took a sharp turn into the little market, so he could get lost in the huge crowd, Phil took a glimpse of one of the mages – a tall figure, cloaked in black, moving gracefully like a panther. If he wasn't running for his life, he'd love to observe the mages and how they just radiated power.

And, unluckily for him, they didn't only radiate said power; they were basically _made_ from it. The mages were the most powerful and respected beings on the continent. Thus fooling and escaping them was almost impossible. Almost, because Phil had done it before. But not this time – these few were from the strongest. Even the huge crowd at the market couldn't hide his tracks.

Phil ran into one of the side streets and crushed into something. Some _one_ would be more specific, as there was another person on the ground. Phil shook his head to focus back his vision and started apologizing to whoever he had just run into.

The stranger was one of the higher class, judging by his clothing and the two guards on both this sides. They helped their master up, and Phil was shocked as he saw who the stranger was.

"Dan?"

The latter's face wore the same expression as Phil's – he was maybe even more shocked. As if he was just realizing something's very, _very_ wrong.

"Phil, what-"

"I'm sorry, I have to go, the mages, they're after me, I really need to-"

"Leave the mages to me." Dan had finally taken hold of his face and now wore a worried expression. "You're coming with me to the manor. There's something… Something I need to discuss with you urgently."

Phil looked behind him and saw the cloaked dark figures standing a few feet away, ready to attack. He gulped and turned back to Dan, nodding and following him back into the street. They didn't speak on the way to the manor, only in the security, which the closed doors of Dan's personal chambers were providing, Dan turned back to Phil.

"How are we here? And more importantly, how is that we realize we don't belong here just _now_? I mean, I can remember my whole life in here, and now it turns out it's not _real_!"

"I don't know. But what I know is, we have to get back. To our time, in London." Phil was keeping a blank face, but Dan knew him better than that – Phil was as worried and confused as Dan was himself. "We're gonna figure this out, Dan. We just need some time."

"You're staying at the manor with me. From what I've seen, I can tell you're not… financially stable in this place?" Dan took a step closer, looking at Phil form head to toe.

"Uhm, not really." Phil looked at the floor, blushing. "But thank you, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead or tortured in the dungeons of the mages."

"Why were you running from them, anyway? You're the kindest person I know, I really doubt you've gone and insulted one of them in the face." They both laughed and Phil bit his lip, still looking at the ground.

"You see, I'm sort of a… thief?" he brought himself to look Dan in the eyes. "From what I remember about my life in this place, that's what I've always been. I guess I wasn't as lucky as you." He smiled at Dan, gesturing at the giant chambers with his hands.

"Guess not. But you're staying here, so that doesn't really matter. But it's getting late. Let's discuss this in the morning – we can go to the library and look for more information there. I'll get servants to prepare chambers for you in a moment." They started walking towards the doors, but before opening them, Dan turned back to Phil, "Uhm, about our argument last night-"

"It's not the important thing now." Phil cut him off, but by his tone, Dan knew that he still wasn't forgiven. "I promise we'll talk about it back home, just… not now."

Dan nodded and they left the room.

That night both of them found it hard to fall asleep, their minds wandering off to their fight and their situation on hand.


	3. Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

"Mr. Lester?"

Phil opened his eyes and was blinded by all the whiteness around him. He blinked a couple of times, so he'd adjust to the brightness, and looked around – he was in some sort of an office, maybe a doctor's office. But it seemed a little futuristic – there were robots and holograms and it all just felt _different_. Phil's eyes fell on the man in front of him – the doctor, judging by his white coat.

"Sorry, what?" Phil had to know why he was in a hospital. And he had to find Dan.

"Are you completely sure you want to do it?" the doctor's voice was very serious and Phil didn't like it one bit.

"Do what?"

"Give your heart, so that we can save Mr. Howell's life. We're discussing this for the last half an hour, are you all right?"

' _Save 's- Dan! Dan's here! Dan's dying! What?_ ' Phil started panicking – what had happened?

"What's- Is Dan all right?" he half-whispered, still not able to calm down.

"Mr. Howell has heart cancer and the only way to save him is a heart transplant. You volunteered to give him your heart. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." ' _Cancer. What. No._ ' Phil couldn't let his best friend die. Of course he'd give his heart. He'd give literally his everything to save Dan. "When is the surgery due?"

"In an hour. You can go and talk to Mr. Howell now, if you'd like to. A nurse will come to tell you when we're ready to start."

"Yes, thank you." Phil got up from the chair and left the office, barely keeping himself standing up. He reached the door to Dan's hospital room and looked through the window – Dan was lying on the bed, hospital gown and all, scrolling on his phone. Phil smiled and let himself in the room. "Hey there."

Dan looked up and smiled, relieved to see his best friend. "Phil, thank god you're here. What's happening? Why are we in a hospital? How did we get here? This isn't even our time! Look, the phone says it's 2156!"

"I know as much as you do. But we're gonna figure it out, don't worry."

"They told me I've got heart cancer. Luckily, they found a donor. But what if the surgery goes wrong?" Dan was clearly panicking, so Phil got his hands into his own and made him look him in the eyes.

"It's going to be fine, nothing's going to go wrong. You'll be just fine. As you said, it's the future, I'm sure they're really good doctors. Just don't panic, okay?" So Dan didn't know he was the donor? Okay, Phil was going to leave it like that. Dan was going to try and stop him from doing it and Phil didn't want that.

"Yeah, okay. It's going to be fine. I trust you." They smiled at each other and Phil let go of Dan's hands.

"Dan, I- I wanted to apologize for our argument the other night. It wasn't your fault, we're just under a lot of stress lately. I had no right to get mad at you and-"

"Phil, it's okay. I'm not mad at you or anything. It wasn't your fault either. You just seem calmer and I thought you weren't as busy as I am and I couldn't think rationally. It was a stupid thing to argue about in the first place."

"We always seem to argue about the stupidest things, don't we?" they both chuckled. Phil was going to say something more, but the nurse walked into the room, announcing it was time for the surgery. He got up from the chair next to Dan's bed and looked down at him. "I'm sure it's going to go perfectly fine, Dan. Just don't panic, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Dan smiled at Phil as the nurse injected him with the sleep-drug. Phil let out a sad sigh as Dan lost consciousness. The nurse looked at him sympathetically.

"Giving your heart for your loved one is a very good thing, sir. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"He's not my- We're just best friends." Phil was blushing furiously. Even in here, people still mistook him and Dan for a couple. And maybe they were right- But now was definitely _not_ the time for that!

"Oh. Well, either way, it's still very kind of you. Now, we need to go and prepare you, as well."

Phil threw one last look at Dan's unconscious body and followed the nurse to the next room. He got dressed in a hospital gown, much like Dan's one, and lay on the bed, watching as the nurse drugged him. The last thing he thought about before losing consciousness was Dan's smile.


	4. Metallica - Master Of Puppets

Phil was awoken by someone pulling on his hand. He turned towards the touch and was relieved to see his best friend.

"Dan, you're alive!" He couldn't help but grin and hug the other. Dan chuckled and hugged back, then they both withdrew from one another.

"Of course I am. But more importantly – where are we _now_?" They both looked around – it was a spacious room, tall columns on both sides; a luxurious sofa was in the end of the path the columns were creating, and an elderly man was laying on it, dressed in what looked like an expensive toga of some sort. On both his sides were two servant girls – one feeding him fruits, the other playing a harp. But something seemed off about their movements…

"Is it my imagination or he's controlling them?" Dan gestured with his head towards the man.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at his hand. He's moving his fingers like he's some sort of, I don't know, a puppeteer? And then look at the girl that's feeding him. Her movement's not quite right."

"Well, after the mages and then the hospital of the future, I won't really be surprised." Phil really wasn't. He had yet to figure out what and why was happening, but for now he could only go with it.

"Yeah, you're right. Oh, by the way, what happened in the hospital? Was the surgery a success?" Dan had turned his attention back to Phil.

"I don't know, I gave you my heart." Phil answered before he could stop himself. Dan's eyes widened and Phil quickly shut his jaw, making a loud sound of teeth clacking.

But before any of them could say something else, the doors of the room burst open and another elderly man walked in, with two younger men after him – their movements looked as unnatural as the ones of the girls; that man was also a puppeteer. The man on the sofa skilfully moved his fingers and Dan and Phil were forced to move and stand like a shield between the two puppeteers.

"Hiding behind your puppets again? And I thought you were braver than that, brother." The newly came man spoke with mockery in his voice.

"Why are you here?" the man on the sofa was clearly unamused; Dan and Phil could both feel the light strings attached to their limbs tighten.

"You know damn well why I'm here – I've come to take what's mine!" With that the man moved his hands and his puppets became ready to attack.

"Nothing here belongs to you. Understand that finally." The first puppeteer also moved his hands and made Dan and Phil attack the others. The way they moved resembled one of the characters in a video game – they were controlled and they _felt_ it, but couldn't do anything against it. And were their movements _good_ – they didn't know they had it in them to be so good in fighting. Dan was about to make a remark about how good they were, when the puppet he was fighting against drew out a blade and stabbed him in the chest. Phil was so shocked, that the puppeteer controlling him couldn't move him for a moment; and that moment was enough for the other puppeteer – his other puppet drew out a blade like the other before him and stabbed Phil right in the heart.


	5. Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons

Dan woke up with a groan – there were annoying people, who were fussing around him. Why wouldn't they just let him sleep in peace? He then remembered what had happened – the blade through his chest, Phil and him being controlled by that man… Phil! Where was Phil? He needed to find Phil.

Dan looked around; he was in what seemed to be a dressing room. A hair-and-make-up stylist was currently fussing with his fringe, which unknowingly why was left unstraightened. He looked down at his reflection – was that a _tuxedo_? _What_ was going on?

He was just about to ask out loud, when the door was opened and Phil entered the room, holding a clip-board in his hands.

"Dan! There you are!" He looked at the girl, who collected her stuff and left them alone in the dressing room. "Here it says you're a world-wide famous pianist and this is your biggest concert yet." Phil gave Dan the clip-board and pointed at something in the middle of the page. Dan scanned quickly the paper and looked back up at the other.

"And you're _what_? My manager?"

"Seems like it. Also, you really need to go, you're due on stage in 2 minutes." Phil took back his clip-board and moved aside, so Dan could leave the dressing room.

"But what about your heart… you just gave it to me and-"

"Now's really not the time, just go on the stage." Phil smiled at him and pushed him out of the door. He almost slipped and fell over, but Phil caught him in time. "Careful now, who's going to play if you hurt yourself." Dan blushed and looked up at Phil, who was smirking at him. He was about to make a sassy remark, but was called on stage and had to hurry up a bit.

As he walked out on the stage and took a glimpse at the audience, he was truly taken aback – this opera was one of the most posh places Dan's ever been in. And the people looked so judgemental; he felt incredibly out of place here. He turned around and was about to go back, but one look at Phil and his smile reassured him in his abilities, so he decided to just go with it.

Once he started playing, all his worries were forgotten – he was a damn good pianist and he knew it. As he got into the tune, he continued playing without much thought – his fingers were sliding alone over the keys. His train of thought, however, was on a whole different station – Phil. He had given his heart, so that he'd save Dan's life. And since they hadn't been in that universe for long, Dan was sure that decision was made without much consideration. Sure, he'd done the same, but he'd considered it for a while - went to look for another donor, at least. One thing was for sure – Dan couldn't have hoped to find a better best friend in the whole world. If he already hadn't been in love with Phil, now he'd definitely be. And who wouldn't be, really; Phil was literally made out of the shiniest star dust there is. But Dan couldn't tell him that, now, could he? It'd make things so awkward, and he didn't want that – he'd rather keep his and Phil friendship than lose it because of his stupid feelings…

 _Bang_! Dan's hands stopped moving – what was happening? Was he bleeding? Huh, when did that happen? Ah, there's Phil, he's coming towards Dan. No, wait. Was that a bullet? Phil! No, Phil, don't fall down, you don't deserve to die, no! Why is everything going dark, nonono, please not darkness! Phil…


	6. Three Days Grace - Over And Over

Dan woke up and immediately sat up, looking around, trying to find Phil. But instead finding his best friend, he found himself in his old bedroom in his parents' house – the one he used to live in before he met Phil. Okay, _that_ definitely was weird. He got up and to the mirror – _what the hell_! His 18 years old self was staring back at him from the glass, looking just as shocked as he felt. What, so, now they were _back in time_ , too? Great, just fucking _great_! But if he was 18 and in this place, did that mean…? Phil. Phil and he have never met, yet! Dan sat back down on the bed again, trying to calm himself down; this was the worst one so far – what if Phil didn't even know about his existence? He had to check – he went to his desk and turned on his laptop, opening Phil's YouTube channel. There was no PhilIsNotOnFire video, but there was something else that caught his eye – one he was sure he'd never seen before. It was named ' _Dan, we need to get back!_ ' and was uploaded a mere half an hour ago. Okay, so Dan wasn't alone and Phil knew who he was – that was definitely reassuring. He clicked on the video and waited for it to load.

" _Dan, we're back in 2009!_ " the Phil on the screen looked as shocked as Dan did when he had found out earlier. " _And we haven't met yet – this is the worst!_ " ' _No shit, Sherlock_.' " _But listen, I've figured something out – every time we lose consciousness, and, sadly, that includes dying, we get sent to a different universe or whatever this is._ " Now that Phil mentioned it, it really was like that – in the manor in the desert city they had fallen asleep; then in the hospital they had been drugged to sleep; in the puppeteer's house they'd been killed; and in the opera house – shot. How didn't he figure it out earlier, it was so obvious! " _So, to get out of this, we need to survive the day. Please, don't get killed this time. Just stay at home and don't do anything._ " And, okay, Phil looked legit worried – Dan for sure was going to try and stay alive; shouldn't be that hard, considering he's at home. " _And, uh, also, about that thing in the hospital…_ " Phil looked down and blushed, and _wow_ , Dan had forgotten just how adorable his old self had been. " _Please, don't make it a big deal. Of course I'd do anything to save you; I thought you already knew that. I bet you're going all: 'But, Phil, there must've been other ways!' You're probably right, but… You were dying, Dan. I- I had to do something."_ The whole time he was speaking, Phil wore a sad, yet determined expression, which took Dan completely aback, because Phil was rarely so dead serious about things. " _And you being shot at that opera house… I don't know how many more times I can handle seeing you die, Dan. Please, don't go all 'it's inevitable', I know it is. Just… not like that. I don't know how we got into this mess, but it hurts and I don't like it one bit. Promise me you'll try not to die anymore for as long as it takes us to get out of here, and I don't mean only 2009, I mean this whole messed-up situation. Promise, please._ "

The video ended and Dan was _totally not_ crying. It was just raining, inside his room, there's nothing wrong with that – if it can happen at Hogwarts, what's stopping it from happening in Dan's room? Damn right – _nothing_.

He sat at his desk for a little longer, till he had calmed down, then went downstairs to take something to eat – lucky for him, it was a workday and no one was in the house but him. However, he decided he'd spend the whole day in his own room – he didn't want his family to see him like this; he'd probably act weird and mess something up.

The whole day went by thankfully uneventful – Dan played video games the whole time, only now and then going back down to the kitchen for a snack. Dinner was kind of awkward – he had to talk to his parents and pretend he was his 18 year old self, which was harder than he'd thought.

As he went to bed, he replayed Phil's video one more time in his head – damn, he had fallen for Phil so hopelessly that he had no chance at standing back up. And maybe Phil had, too, considering how concerned he'd been for Dan. But everyone would be if their best friend had died, right? _Ugh_ , why did it have to be so _confusing_!


	7. Muse - Uprising

Dan woke up from the cold – had he left the window open or something? Why was his bed so hard? Oh. _Right_. They were still in this messed-up parallel world or whatever this was. He opened his eyes with a sigh and came face to face with his best friend.

"Phil!" Dan sat up and shook the other, waking him up.

"Wha- Dan!" Phil smiled and launched himself forward to hug Dan. "I'm so glad we're not separated this time."

"Same." They let go, much to Dan's dislike, and looked around. "So, uh, where exactly do you reckon we are this time?"

"Looks like a make-shift shelter to me. There're other people here, we should probably ask them what's going on." Phil stood up and offered Dan his hand for help. He gladly accepted it and they went to the five other people, standing around the table with some maps on it. One of the men lifted his head, stiffing his posture. The others looked at him, then at the newcomers, and also stiffened their backs.

"Good morning, sirs." One of the women greeted them. They exchanged a confused look.

"Good morning to you, too." Dan said, more like a question than a statement. "What're you guys up to?"

"Checking the plans for one last time before we go, sir." One of the men gestured with his head towards the maps.

"Plans?" Phil probably shouldn't have asked that – all eyes went wide and on him.

"Yes, sir. The plans of the Parliament." The same man looked even more confused now.

"And what exactly do we need these plans for?" Dan had no idea what he and Phil had gotten themselves into, and was really hesitant to find out. But they _had_ to get out of this mess.

"Are you and Capt. Lester okay, sir?" the woman who'd greeted them seemed concerned. Dan turned to Phil and mouthed ' _Captain Lester?_ ' questionably; the other seemed just as lost as Dan.

"Yeah, we're fine, it's because we just got up. Can you just make a quick summary of the plan?" Whatever the situation was this time, Dan had no intention to be the one having no idea what's going on.

"First the others from the Opposition come here, so we can get regrouped." The man, who had spoken earlier, started after a short pause. "Then you, sir, and Capt. Lester lead us through the abandoned tunnels of the Underground. We reach the Parliament and place the bombs. Then we withdraw and light the bombs from a base close to the Underground exit next to the Parliament."

"Can I and Capt. Lester here have a moment?" Dan didn't wait for them to respond; instead he grabbed Phil by the arm and pulled him out of earshot. "What the hell is going on, Phil?"

"I know as much as you do, but I guess we're planning to blow up the Parliament?" Phil bit his lip nervously; Dan kind of loved when he did that- ' _Not the time, Howell!_ '

"Yeah, I got that by myself, but _Captain_? And he said _we_ 're the ones leading them. Are we some sort of soldiers or something?" Dan was starting to panic and didn't like the idea of being a soldier one bit.

"I guess we are. Let's- let's just go with it and do our best to survive. Tomorrow we won't be here anyway." Dan was a little envious of how calmly Phil was taking everything. Well, at least they were _together_ this time. And Phil was right – it was just for today; they only needed to survive.

"Okay. Let's get over with this. At least we're in London this time." Dan smiled at Phil, who returned his smile, and they both went back to the others; which were now more than before – Dan could count more than fifteen people. As they passed by, people were nodding at him and Phil, greeting them with ' _Good Morning, Capt. Howell, Capt. Lester._ ', and it did nothing to make Dan feel better about the whole situation. They went over to the map and took a good look at it, discussing where was the best place to put bombs – using their knowledge from video games and TV shows, of course; they had no idea whatsoever how to do this sort of stuff in real life. Once they were ready, a part of the men of the _Opposition,_ or whatever, brought the bombs - they were impressive; and more than Dan originally thought they'd be.

Somewhere in the end of the abandoned Underground tunnel, Dan realized that this was _real_. They were going to blow up the Parliament _for real_. Well, as real as this universe was, which Dan still kind of doubted; but this didn't make the experience any less real. Here he was, walking alongside Phil, leading more than twenty people to some sort of a wicked revolution. But he couldn't turn back now; he had promised Phil to get this over with and he needed to do it.

With the help of five other men, Dan and Phil set all the bombs in the right places. They were all withdrawing back, leaving the wires after themselves. About 500 feet later, they were secure in the base near the Underground exit. Phil connected the wires to the detonator and Dan got closer to him – they had to be the ones pressing the detonator, anyway. Their followers – _oh_ , the irony – were standing around them in expectation. When Phil was done, he nodded at Dan to come and he put his hand over Phil's on the detonator. Three… Two... One… _Press_ … _Nothing_? Something'd probably gone wrong. There should've been flames everywhere by now.

"Maybe I didn't connect the wires right?" Phil leaned forward and checked his handiwork. "No, everything's in order here. It's probably one of the bombs where it's wrong."

"We should go and check it out." Dan didn't even know why he was suggesting this. The plan was to keep themselves alive, after all. But he couldn't send other people to pay for his mistakes. And he was their _leader_ , after all, he couldn't fail them. "I'm going back in."

"Dan, wait!" Phil got him by the arm and Dan turned to face him. "I'm coming with you."

Dan was about to argue, but Phil's serious expression cut his every intention of doing so; instead, he just nodded and went with Phil back down in the tunnel. The walk through the dark was silent – none of them really felt like chatting randomly now. Soon, they reached the first bomb. It wasn't the problematic one, so they moved on to the others. It turned out to be one of the first they'd put – nothing surprising, they hadn't known what they were doing yet. They both walked over to it and got the unconnected wire in their hands.

"I guess we're not surviving this one, huh?" Phil smiled sadly at Dan, who rolled his eyes.

"We didn't mislead them, at least. No matter how insane this cause is, I like to think we did our job right."

"We did. Now let's finish it properly and get out of here."

Dan nodded and they connected the wire. This time the explosion was present.


	8. Muse - Panic Station

Phil woke up when he felt the too-soft mattress underneath himself and the too-warm presence next to him. He reached over for his glasses and when his eyes were finally focused, he almost fell off the bed. He was back in Japan! Or, actually in the hotel room he'd shared with Dan, 'cause, damn, _was_ Japan expensive!

Wait. Dan!

Phil turned towards the warm presence next to him in the bed and, as he'd expected, found Dan. The brunet was still sleeping, but Phil couldn't leave him like that – they were back in Japan for a little while again, and he just had to get out!

" _Dan_. Dan, _wake up_!" Phil nudged at Dan's side, until he opened his eyes with a groan.

"What do you want, Phil-" his eyes widened as he took in the room. "Are we where I think we are?"

"Yes!" Phil almost squealed as he turned his gaze back on the window, grinning widely.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Dan threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, walking to the bathroom to prepare himself for the day. Phil stayed a little longer in the bed, gazing through the window and waiting for his friend.

As soon as they both were ready, they left the room, planning to go into town to get some sort of breakfast. Since Phil didn't want to start with fish so early in the day, they decided to go and have some pancakes. After all, they had a whole day to go and get something traditionally Japanese later.

After breakfast, they decided to go back to the Pokémon centre – they just hadn't spent enough time there last time. Phil was really excited himself, but looking at Dan's expression of utter bliss, his mood became even better. He loved Japan more than any other country, and was so, _so_ glad that he got to share this experience with the most important person in the whole world for him. They spent hours there, laughing at each other and just 'fangirling' over stuff; even surrounded by so much stuff Phil'd kill to have the opportunity to be around, he just couldn't take his eyes off Dan – if they were allowed to take photos in here, Phil was sure that all he'd film would be Dan.

It was time to get lunch, which meant – sushi time! They went to a restaurant they'd visited with Duncan and Mimei the last time they had been here – they obviously couldn't speak Japanese, no matter how much anime they'd watched, so better not get lost or go and try new things they might regret later. As they ordered their food, Dan took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Phil smiled at the other, maybe a little dreamy, but if anyone asked him, he was going to deny it.

"What does it look like? Taking pictures." Sarcastic as always, Dan lifted his eyes from the phone to smirk at Phil, then returned to taking pictures – and, honestly, Phil was pretty sure Dan was filming him. So he made a silly face for the camera and laughed at it afterwards with Dan. It was always like that and Phil would give everything to keep it this way forever.

The afternoon was pretty calm – they went for a walk in one of the many parks in Tokyo. It was spring, or they could tell as much from the many cherry blossoms, whose petals were flying all over the place thanks to the light breeze. Dan's hair was full of them and he kept trying to get them all out, only ending up with even more. Phil laughed, as he took his phone out and made as many photos of Dan with the petals as he could; he really hoped these pictures were still going to be on his phone after they left this universe.

The sunset found them on a bench under the cherry blossoms.

"Hey, Phil."

"Yeah?" ' _Has Dan always been this beautiful? Well, yeah, of course he has. But not like that. Yes, exactly like that, you're just too much in denial to notice. No, I'm not. Well, okay, maybe a little, but it shouldn't make a difference, just look at him, he's just so-_ '

"I've been thinking. Since we're not going to be here in the morning, and all. We could go to the most expensive hotel here and not worry about paying in the morning." There was a little flame of mischievousness in Dan's eyes, and it just made them _so_ much more beautiful.

"Wait, are you seriously considering this?"

"Yes. I mean, it's not real, anyway. We're not gonna get in trouble or something." Dan waved a little with his hands while speaking and Phil just wanted to reach over and grab them in his own, to stop their movement, just let them rest for a while. But he didn't, of course.

"Okay, then. Let's do it."

"Wow, Phil, I didn't expect you to agree to this so easily. You're supposed to be the rational adult here." Dan was obviously mocking him playfully, but Phil knew better than to take offence, and they both laughed.

"Well, as you said, this isn't real. I don't see a reason why I shouldn't agree to that. Besides, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I have no intention of letting it go by."

It took them a while to reach the hotel – The Peninsula, which was just _wow –_ and they took the Peninsula Suite, deciding that if they were going to do this, they better take the best of it. And it was so much worth it; once in the Suite, they were truly astonished by the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows – they could see the Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace Gardens and if that wasn't beautiful, Phil didn't know what was. Dan's eye was immediately caught by the grand piano and he made a beeline for it, sitting himself carefully onto the bench. As he started to play, Phil forgot about the Gardens, and turned towards his friend instead – well, _now_ he knew what was more beautiful than the view. The way Dan had his eyes almost shut, the way his fingers caressed the black and white keys, the way he swayed slowly with the melody – Phil had seen him do it numerous times before, but something about the scenery made it so much different – the setting sun reflected from the piano, playing with the little shadows on Dan's face; all the light colours around them contrasted with Dan and made him stand out even more beautifully than he usually did in Phil's eyes…

Phil could go on and on about how perfect Dan looked in this moment, but the end of the melody snapped him out of his daze. When his eyes focused back on Dan's face, Phil found the brunet looking at him with his little smirk gracing his chapped lips.

"Are we going down for dinner or are we ordering room-service?"

"I don't really want to go down." ' _I just want to stay here with you._ '

"Room-service it is." Dan stood up from the piano and walked over to the desk to get the menus, and Phil followed him, leaning a little on the desk.

While waiting for their food to arrive, and during dinner, they talked about how much they enjoyed their day or just stayed in comfortable silence; not like they didn't do this every day, but, like earlier, the fact that they were _here_ made it more special.

Once they got ready for bed, they lied down and took a few minutes to just take in the view, because even from the bed, they could still see the gardens and the fact, that it was night time, didn't make them any less beautiful. Phil was also kind of glad that the Suite had only one king sized bed – he had an excuse to cuddle with Dan. So, once they were both sleepy enough, Phil scooted closer to the other, and Dan, knowing what was to follow, took Phil's arms and put them around himself, literally burying his head in Phil's neck. ' _Best friends did that, right? Yeah, keep lying to yourself, Lester._ ' Soon enough, Dan's breathing had become slower – he was already asleep. Phil smiled down at him, just before he himself drifted off to dream-land,

"I kind of want to kiss you right now, but I can't, sorry."


	9. Disturbed - Another Way To Die

"Phil. Phil, wake up, you've got to see this." Someone was shaking his arm and Phil didn't like it one bit, but the voice sounded kind of urgent, so he obeyed and opened his eyes. The one waking him up was Dan, but he looked different, _younger_.

"Dan, you look-"

"Yeah, I know. Seems like we're back in 2012." Dan smiled sort of apologetically and helped Phil out of the bed. Phil looked around the room,

"At least we're in London this time. It could've been way worse."

"Let's enjoy it while it lasts, then. Come on, breakfast." Dan left the room, Phil following him to the kitchen. They made themselves a bowl of cereal each and sat on the couch, turning on the TV.

"… _as our correspondent from NASA informed us earlier today, a meteorite will pass the Earth's orbit this afternoon in 14:17. The scientists suggest we don't panic, because, I quote, 'this is a frequent occurrence; thousands of meteorites have passed the orbit in the past century and nothing has happened so far; we seriously doubt that anything extraordinary will now'. We'll keep you in touch with the news around the meteorite. It can be observed from the observatories in Central Asia. Now to the news from the world of sport_ …"

"Too bad we don't live in Russia, then." Phil remarked as he was sipping the milk from his bowl.

"You and your obsession with space." Dan mocked him, smirking. "And don't worry, I bet there'll be one to see from the UK in the following years. You heard them – it's a frequent occurrence."

"D'you reckon it'll be live-streamed on the internet?"

"I think so. Wanna watch it after we grab lunch?"

"You don't have to ask." They grinned at each other and both went back to the kitchen to leave their bowls in the sink.

The morning after that went by quietly – each of them spent it in their respected room, because, if Phil was being honest, he really missed it and probably Dan did, too.

When lunch rolled around, they found themselves back in the kitchen, debating whether to go out or not.

"I don't really feel like going out." Phil mused. "Besides, after all the times we've died in the past few days, I'd really like to not die this time, thank you."

"Okay, you have a point. Pizza, then?"

"Pizza's always the answer." They laughed and Dan went to get his laptop to do the order.

Half an hour later, they were munching on their pizza, sitting closely on the couch with Phil's laptop on their laps. Looking for a live-stream of the meteorite was harder than they'd thought.

"It should be in some Russian website. Too bad neither of us speaks Russian." Phil wiped his hand on the kitchen-roll-towel and continued scrolling the Google-results page.

"We can use Google-translate and find something." Dan suggested, his mouth full of pizza.

"Yeah, 'cause that went so well last time."

"Oh, come on, we were just kidding around! It's not that bad of a translator."

"Fine. Can you turn on the TV, the lady said they were going to update us on the meteorite thing." Phil stuffed the last of his pizza in his mouth and pulled his laptop completely in his lap, so Dan could get up and fetch the remote control.

"… _16 more minutes until the meteorite reaches Earth's orbit. All the observatories in Central Asia have their doors open for everyone and are going to project the meteorite's flight_ …"

"Maybe we can watch the live-stream from one of the observatories' websites." Phil had paused scrolling and was looking at Dan, deep in thought.

"Yeah, maybe we should check these out." Dan moved back on the couch next to Phil, and pulled the laptop in his own lap, loading a new tab. He typed a few things, scrolled here and there, and when Phil scooted over closer to see, the webpage of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences was opened. "There, problem solved." Dan smiled victoriously at him, and it took Phil everything not to lean a little and kiss him. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the webpage.

"They're already broadcasting? Wow, look at how huge it is!" And okay, maybe Phil was a little obsessed with space, but who could blame him, space was awesome!

"… _scientists are concerned at how close the meteorite is to the Earth, and NASA can't shoot at it to change its way, because it might cause it to explode and at that close, there might be pieces falling in Earth's atmosphere. Still, there mustn't be panic; they've got it under control_ …"

"Four minutes 'til it passes. Dan, it's incredible!" Phil looked up at Dan with a huge grin and saw the other smiling at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing, you're just really cute when you get so hyped up about space and stuff." Dan's eyes widened and he blushed furiously. "I mean, um, yeah." He looked down at the webpage, fringe falling over his face, hiding his eyes from Phil, who was really taken aback by Dan's comment and could feel his whole face burning.

"Uh, thank you, I guess." Phil finally remembered how to speak; Dan gave him a nod and Phil turned back towards the screen, seeing a little countdown in the corner of the live-stream.

'… _7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0_ '

It was honestly one of the most fascinating things Phil'd ever seen and he was glad Dan'd found a way for them to see it. He wished he'd get to see something like that again in the future; of course, with Dan at his side – it just wouldn't be the same without him.

"… _our correspondent in NASA reports, that there's been a disturbance in Earth's orbit around the Sun, due to the meteorite. The whole line of the orbit's been re-drawn and the Earth's moving away from the Sun. The temperatures are falling drastically and scientists forecast a new Ice Age within the next 12 hours_ … " The news-lady stopped speaking for a second, pressing at the earpiece in her ear to hear the incoming information better. " _We've just received new information from NASA – the whole Solar System's getting sucked into the supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way, more known as Sagittarius A*. Even though it's 26 000 light-years away, the speed we're being sucked in is incredibly fast. The Solar System is going to be sucked in 'til the end of the week, as scientists have calculated. But with the decreasing temperatures, the population of the Earth will be dead until tomorrow morning_ …"

Dan and Phil looked at each other with horrified expressions.

"We're gonna die." Dan half-whispered, eyes getting wider.

"Well, technically, we're not going to die, since this is an alternative universe and we're going to wake up somewhere else in the morning." Phil stated. "But otherwise, yes, we're going to die."

"We've only got 12 hours or maybe a little bit more to live, Phil! How can you be so calm right now!?" Dan shot up from the couch, nearly knocking Phil's laptop down. Phil took Dan by the arm and pulled him back down.

"Exactly – we've got 12 hours. We can do anything for 12 hours! Tell me what do you want to do, and we'll do it." Phil was looking Dan straight in the eyes, still holding him down. Dan seemed to calm down a little, but his breathing was still a little ragged.

"I... I don't know what I want to do. But can you… can you stay with me?" Dan bit his lip shyly, moving his eyes away from Phil.

"Of course I'll stay with you!" That made Dan look back at Phil, a small smile forming on his face. "Listen, here's what we're gonna do – we're going to act like this is a completely normal day – we can watch a movie, laugh at some videos on YouTube, then have dinner and go to bed. We'll avoid all sorts of media, so we won't panic more than we are now. Is that okay with you?"

Dan nodded and Phil turned the TV off. The decided to watch _Kill Bill_ since they had sort of a history with it and its plot had nothing to do with global disasters or world's end.

During the movie, both men had moved closer and closer towards each other, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, they had ended up cuddling. Phil had always loved watching movies with Dan, and not only because it gave him a great excuse to cuddle. But that was probably the main reason; not like he was ever going to admit it, if asked.

As the credits started rolling, none of them moved from the position they were in - Phil was way too comfortable and he guessed Dan was, too. Dan even made himself more comfortable, shifting a little. Phil chuckled, giving his friend a little more space to move in.

"Dan, we've got to stop the movie."

"Mm, in a sec." Dan's words were muffled by Phil's shirt, which his face was currently buried in.

Neither of them moved 'til the end of the credits, which was in a good five minutes. Not that Phil complained much. After a little moving around, Dan lifted up a little and turned off the movie, then sat back down next to Phil, leaning a little on him.

"Want to watch another movie, or are we moving on to YouTube videos?" Phil questioned, shifting a little so Dan was more comfortable.

"Can't we just stay like this for a little longer?"

"Of course we can." They moved back into the cuddling position and Dan even drew a blanket on top of them, due to the temperatures sinking more and more by the minute.

Phil didn't know exactly when it had happened, but he and Dan had fallen asleep and 18 o'clock was nearing when he woke up. Dan was still asleep, and Phil didn't dare move, in case he woke him up. Instead, he looked down at him and, _oh_ , how hadn't he noticed 'til now – Dan was really adorable while he slept. Before he could stop himself, Phil started running his fingers through Dan's curly hair again and again; he kind of enjoyed it way too much.

"That feels lovely." As he heard Dan's voice, Phil immediately drew away his hand.

"Sorry for waking you up."

"No, it's okay, really." Dan yawned and looked up at Phil. "Why'd you stop, though?"

"Do you want me to keep doing it?" Phil bit his lip, blushing a little.

"Only if you want to, it felt really nice." Dan smiled up at him and, just, _aw_.

"Okay." Phil slowly buried his hand back in the soft brown locks, drawing it through them carefully.

They stayed like this, Phil running his hand through Dan's hair, until Dan started to shiver.

"Are you cold?" Phil looked down at him, worry taking over his features.

"A bit. I'll run to our rooms and take something warm we can put on, and you turn on the heating, okay?" Dan lifted himself a bit and got up completely after Phil nodded.

Even with the heating full-on and winter coats over their clothes, Dan and Phil were freezing. They were cuddled up on the couch, as close to each other as they could get, with two blankets and their duvets on top, but they were still cold. And from now, it was only going to get worse.

Phil felt Dan shiver next to him, so he pulled him closer, arms around his body, and leaned over him, trying to produce as much body-heat as he could. It helped for a while, but when both of them started shivering, there was nothing they could do.

"P-phil…" Dan's breath formed a puff of steam in the air, like it did in the winter. "We're not really going to die, right?" he was speaking really slowly, which worried Phil a lot – Dan was never one to speak slowly.

"Of course not, Dan." Phil's speech was also very slow, but he chose to ignore that fact. "Think of it as falling asleep. Tomorrow, we won't be here, and we're both going to be alive. It's going to be okay." He tightened his hold on Dan, as the younger started to shiver more violently, and kissed the top of his head.

Soon, Dan's shivers stopped and he, incredibly slowly, turned his head towards Phil, who was still shivering, his symptoms showing a little later that the brunet's.

"Phil…" Phil turned to look at him – Dan's lips and nose were turning blue, the circles under his eyes much more deep and noticeable than usual.

"Yes?" the steamy cloud in front of Phil's face was smaller this time; even his breath was getting cold.

"Phil, can you kiss me? My lips are all cold." Dan made an attempt to smile, and almost succeeded, but couldn't hold it for long. Before Phil's brain could stop him, he leaned forward and sealed his and Dan's lips; and Dan was right – they were, indeed, cold, _freezing_ even. Phil put his hand on Dan's neck, feeling his heart-beat go slower and slower, 'til it completely stopped. Phil couldn't find it in himself to move away from Dan. So, he just stayed like that 'til his own heart gave away.


	10. Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

„Wake up, Prince Philip. You're expected in your study in half an hour to prepare for your coronation tomorrow."

Phil groaned as sunlight fell on his face, as someone drew open the curtains. Wait a second – _Prince_? _Coronation_? _What_? He jumped up in the bed, throwing off his duvet, and tried to find the source of the voice, that had awaken him. And, _wow_ , did the room look _magnificent_! For starters – the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling; then the bed – king sized, with _baldachin_! And the library on the wall – it had so many books; it even reached the ceiling. And everything was so richly decorated – he had seen such things only in castles. _Oh_. Phil turned to the windows and saw a woman standing next to them; her head bowed a little, not daring to look at him.

"Uh, thank you for waking me, uh…"

"Charlotte, Your Highness." She looked up at him for a moment, then bit her lip and looked down at her own feet again. "Would you like me to find Daniel, Your Highness?"

"Yes, thank you, uh, Charlotte, that would be great." Well, at least Dan was also there. As the woman left his chamber, Phil wandered what exactly was Dan's title – maybe a prince, like him; or a duke; or a lord? Phil imagined Dan in an outfit, similar to the ones he'd seen in kings' portraits, and burst out laughing – not that it didn't suit Dan, it was just so _different_ and, to be honest, a little bit silly.

As the door was opened again, Phil's laughter was cut off – Dan wasn't wearing anything special, just a black suit- _wait_ , as far as Phil's knowledge in History went, a simple black suit meant servant. What. That was unexpected.

"Morning, Your Highness. Personal Servant Daniel at your service." Dan's voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Phil started laughing again. "Stop laughing, you spoon. Do you know how unfair the life of a servant is? I had to get up at _five_! Can you imagine that? Then, I had to prepare _your_ clothes, you're welcome by the way, and you have no idea how many outfits they're gonna stuff you in today. Oh, and besides, all the maids are looking at me like I've killed their dog or something, just because _I'm_ the one stuck with you instead of them. You've got to hear them, Phil – all they talk about is _you_ , how perfect you are what you did, how you smiled, blah, blah, blah. They are _so_ annoying! And- _Stop laughing and get up_!" Phil got up from the bed, still chuckling at how flustered Dan's face was, and went to the bowl with hot water in front of the mirror to wash his face. As he turned around, Dan was looking at him with an annoyed expression, but still red-faced, nevertheless.

"Come now, Dan. Don't look so annoyed. It's not like I'm going to treat you differently, just because of the situation we're in right now." A small smile made its way on Dan's lips and Phil was proud of himself, as he always was, whenever he made Dan smile. "Oh, and if they sent you here to help me dress myself, your services aren't needed, thank you very much." Phil's tongue stuck a little of the corner of his mouth, as he mocked Dan, whose expression returned to one of annoyance.

"Oh, shut it, will you!" then that sarcastic tone again, "Now, if you will be so kind, _Your Highness_ , you're expected for breakfast."

"Yeah, about that… where exactly are my clothes?" Phil smiled sheepishly at Dan, who rolled his eyes.

"Just follow me." Dan started to leave, but Phil caught him by the arm.

"Wait, they're in a whole different room? I'm in my _underwear_ , Dan. You expect me to leave the room like _this_?" Phil blushed and pointed down at his body. Dan did a quick once-over, nodded, and then continued walking, with Phil in tow.

Luckily for Phil, his clothes were in the next room to his chamber, which was completely and only for his wardrobe. Dan pointed at the outfit next to the huge mirror.

"You'll have to wear that 'til lunch. I wish I had my camera with me; you in period clothing would be priceless." Phil looked up from the outfit to find Dan smiling at him; but this time, it wasn't a mocking smile – it was a genuine one, from those, which made Dan's dimples stand out. Phil bit his lip, trying his best not to lean forward and kiss the other- Wait, kissing. That's something they'd have to discuss later. Sure, Dan was literally freezing to death and very confused, but that wasn't an excuse to ask Phil to kiss him just because his lips were cold- "Hurry up, Phil; you don't have the whole day." He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind for later, and started dressing himself.

After a few struggles with the clothes – there were _so many_ pieces! – Phil was finally ready for breakfast. He and Dan made their way to one of the chambers on the first floor – from what Phil could see, the castle was _enormous_. Before they went inside, Dan turned to face him.

"The lady inside is supposed to be the Empress consort of Austria, Maria Theresa, and, weird I know, your mother in this Universe. Oh, and, Emperor Francis I, your, uh, father, died last week. In case you're wondering about all that 'coronation' stuff. And the palace, it's Schönbrunn, and Austria's an Empire now, just so you know. Good luck, Phil."

"Wait, what do you mean 'good luck'? You're going to be inside with me, right?"

"Inside, yes. With you, not so much. As a servant, I'll be somewhere in the corners, while you'll be on the table, sitting next to the Empress." Phil's eyes widened. "Don't worry about it so much, Phil. You're excellent in conversations, you'll manage. Just answer all she asks and you should be fine."

"Thanks for warning me, Dan. Oh, and, uh, we kind of need to talk about something." Phil bit his lip, darting his eyes away from Dan.

"Will do, after your preparations in your study. Now, just go, before they decide to accuse me for you being late, and hang me or something." Dan pushed open the doors, stepping aside, so Phil could enter, then closed it, and moved to stand next to one of the walls closest to the table.

Phil slowly walked to the table, eyes going everywhere except on the woman already sitting there. But as he sat down, he forced himself to look at her and smile.

"Good morning, uh, mother." ' _That sounds so weird_.'

"Good morning, dear. Are you ready for your coronation?" the Empress looked up at him from her tea, and smiled.

"Uh, not really." Phil took a croissant from the big plate and bit a little, trying his best to eat 'classy'-ly.

"It's okay, Philip. Neither was your father. And look at him – more than 30 years on the throne. I'm sure you'll do just fine." She smiled reassuringly and sipped from her tea.

"Thank you, I'll try my best."

"Of course you will, you always do. Now, finish up and go back to your study. Alexander's been waiting for you for a while."

Phil nodded, and ate as fast as he could, trying not to be messy.

As soon as he was done, he excused himself and left, Dan following him immediately afterwards. They went back on the second floor, Dan making fun of how Phil's been all red-faced whilst speaking with the Empress.

They reached another door, not far from Phil's bed chamber, and Dan paused once again, turning towards Phil.

"From what I know, Alexander's your personal tutor. I've no idea what's he like, but I doubt he'd be an ass."

"Will you be here?"

"Yeah, you're stuck with me." Dan winked and Phil could swear he became as flustered as Phil himself. They entered the study and were met by a middle-aged man, sitting on the desk with a book in his lap – Alexander, from what Phil could guess.

"Ah, Prince Philip, finally." Alexander put down his book and got up from the desk, coming in front of Phil. Dan moved back to one of the walls, halting to a stand there. "We've got lots of work to do."

After a terrible morning of learning etiquette and what he was supposed to do and say on the actual coronation, Phil was very exhausted. But he really needed to speak with Dan and sort things out.

"Dan, I really need to talk to you." They'd just left the study and Phil was following Dan to somewhere.

"It has to wait, Phil. You need to be in the dining room in twenty and you need to change your outfit." Dan didn't even look at Phil, but he could see the tips of his ears turning bright red.

"Ugh, being a prince is so exhausting!" They entered the dressing room and Dan chuckled.

"You're lucky you have to be one just for today, then." He walked to the mirror, pointing at the new outfit next to it, lying on the same place his morning attire had been. "Now, put this on as fast as you can, and maybe we could have time to speak before lunch."

"I really doubt that, we're going to need a while." Phil started removing pieces of clothing he didn't even know the name of, as Dan sat down in one of the many little sofas about the room. "Is there something important I'll have to attend to in the afternoon?"

"No, I don't think so. But we can explore the gardens. Have you seen them yet? They're so beautiful." Dan got up and drew open the curtains of one of the windows, revealing the enormous gardens of the palace. Phil came next to him, struggling to get out of his dress-pants.

"Wow, we're definitely exploring them. Maybe we can find somewhere to speak when no one will hear us. I mean, you know they say that walls in castles always have ears."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll find something." Dan sounded a little bit hushed, and when Phil turned to face him, he found Dan staring at him.

"Do I have something on me?" ' _Except for tomato-red skin from blushing, that is_.'

"No, you're just, um… You look nice." Dan bit his lip, but didn't look away this time.

"Thank you, you do, too." But if he was being honest, Dan kind of always looked nice.

"Thanks, Phil." Dan smiled, then pushed Phil towards the new outfit. "Now, put these on. I bet we're running out of time."

Lunch went exhausting – Phil was forced to interact not only with the Empress, but with his pseudo-siblings. And, wow, there were a lot of them! He had, in this universe, five sisters and two brothers! And talking to all of them cost Phil almost all of his energy, which, after the morning in the study with Alexander, wasn't much.

When he was finally free to go, he and Dan exited the palace and started exploring the gardens. And they were _magnificent_. With all the fountains and the Gloriette on the hill; the many sculptures and the Columbary; the palm pavilion and the orangery; the garden pavilion and the roman ruins… Phil could spend here a few days, just exploring the gardens.

"When we get back in our universe, we're definitely coming back to Austria." He and Dan had sat on the stairs beneath the arch of the roman ruins, since it seemed like no one was coming here anyway, and they could really use the privacy.

"You wanted to come all the way here, just to tell me that?" Dan lifted his eyebrows, a smile on his lips, as if he couldn't believe Phil.

"Of course not, but we really need to come back here. So, the thing I wanted to speak with you about." Phil paused, not really knowing how to put it in words. "Remember when we were freezing to death?"

"Phil, it was literally last night, of course I do. What about it?" Dan's question sounded somehow cautiously, which didn't help Phil to compose himself better at all.

"Well, it's not about the dying. I mean, it kind of is, since that's the main reason we were cuddled up on the couch. And maybe because of it, we couldn't really control ourselves and were being confused, I don't know."

"Are you talking about the kiss, Phil?" Dan's voice lacked tone, and Phil didn't like that one bit.

"I, uh… Yes, actually. I was wondering… if we weren't freezing, would've you… Would've you asked me to do it? Kiss you, I mean." Phil was almost whispering at the end, having second thoughts about bringing this up, judging by how blank Dan's face had suddenly gone. He really hated it when Dan did this – they really knew each other better than anyone, but the blankness was very hard to read.

"Would you have done it, if I'd asked you to?" It took Dan a while to answer, carefully choosing his words.

"Yes." Phil was getting a bit worried – Dan's face was still blank.

"Then, would you kiss me, Phil?" Dan finally smiled a little and Phil wasted no time – he took Dan's face in his hands and leaned forward, sealing their lips. And it was _so_ much better than the last one, because this time, they both knew what was going on and were fully into it.

Getting out of breath, they pulled back, gazing into each other's wide eyes, sheepish smiles onto their faces.

"You have no idea how many times I've stopped myself from kissing you." Dan said, licking his bottom lip.

"Maybe I do. I've been doing it since I met you." Phil was still holding Dan's face and wasn't really planning on letting go of it soon.

"You shouldn't have. I was waiting for you, to be honest. I didn't know if you wanted the same things I did."

"And what is it that you want?" Phil ran his thumb across Dan's cheek.

"To be with you, in any way you'll have me." Dan bit his lip, turning a little red.

"I'll have you in any way you'll give yourself to me." Phil leaned forward again, not being able to restrain himself – after all these years, he was finally able to kiss Dan, and nothing was going to stop him now.

Or so he thought, until someone called from behind him.

"Prince Philip, I am so terribly sorry I'm interrupting you, but I've been sent to inform you, that you'll be having dinner with your uncle, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and you need to get prepared."

As Phil turned around, he saw the same woman from the morning – Charlotte – her head bowed, still not daring to look at him. He smiled apologetically at Dan and got up, helping Dan up as well.

"Thank you for informing me, Charlotte. You can go now; I'll be back in the palace shortly."

She bowed at him again, shooting a dirty look at Dan, and left as quickly and quietly as she'd appeared. Dan chuckled and Phil turned to look at him, questionably.

"Typical fangirl reaction. If we ever announce this" Dan made a hand-gesture, pointing between them, "publically, that's how they all will react – half of them will be looking at me dirty, the other half – at you."

"As long as I have you, they can look at me however they like." Phil smirked and pecked Dan's lips.

"Cheesy much?" Dan also smirked, causing Phil to shrug, and they made their way back towards the palace.

They went back to the dressing room, where a new outfit was already prepared for Phil – he was getting really tired of having to change his clothes so often. This time, however, changing took much more time, due to casually kissing Dan now and then.

Dinner with his pseudo-uncle wasn't that bad – the Duke had a really nice personality and a great sense of humour. Phil didn't know royal people could be this fun to be around. But then again, not all of them were like this – for instance, the Duke's wife looked like she'd rather be literally anywhere but there.

It was late in the night, when the Duke finally decided to head off to bed. Phil wished him and his wife good night, and excused himself from the table, leaving for his chambers with Dan in tow.

Once they got there, Phil removed all of his clothing, leaving only his underwear on, and literally dove into the bed. He was so exhausted, he could sleep for a week.

But when he heard his door open, he lifted his head from the pillows – Dan was trying to get out of the room with as little sound as possible.

"Where do you think you're going, Daniel?" Phil tried to sound annoyed, but failed miserably, as Dan made such a funny face – like a kid being caught stealing biscuits in the middle of the night.

"You seem exhausted; I'm just leaving you to rest."

"Oh, come back here. I want to cuddle." Phil chuckled at Dan's flustered face, but the brunet closed the door and started removing his own clothes.

When they were both secure under the duvet, with Phil's arms around Dan's body, Phil leaned in and whispered softly in Dan's ear,

"I never came about to saying it, but I really love you. Don't feel obliged to say it back, I just wanted you to know."

"Of course I love you, too, you twat." Dan shoved Phil playfully in the chest. "I'm glad we sorted things out, though."

"Yeah, me too. I guess we really needed this whole alternative-universe thing-y."

"I guess. Now, go to sleep, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Mm." Phil kissed the top of Dan's head and drifted off to dreamless sleep.


	11. Epilogue

Dan woke up at the loss of the heat next to him in the bed. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. _He was back in his own room_! He reached for his phone, checking the date, and it was, indeed, just the day after his fight with Phil. Did this mean none of this 'alternative-universe' stuff had happened and it was all a fragment of Dan's imagination? He really hoped not, otherwise he and Phil had never kissed and Dan really didn't want to go back to having a huge crush he'd never have the courage to tell Phil about.

As curiosity got the better of him, he slipped out of bed, through his bedroom door to the corridor, stopping in front of Phil's door. Should he knock? What if Phil was still angry with him? He can't be, right? All these things _did_ happen. _Right_? Dan shook his head and pressed the door's handle, entering the bedroom. Phil was still asleep, from what he could see, so he moved closer to the bed and shook Phil's sleeping form, trying to wake him up.

"Yeah, I'm awake." Phil reached over for his glasses and looked around. "So are we finally back?"

"Yes, it's the day after we had a fight, actually. So you remember all of it and it's not just my imagination?"

"Of course I do, come here." Phil pulled Dan down on the bed by the hand and kissed him. "Oh, and sorry about losing it and shouting at you. I was just so tired and everything was way too much."

"It's okay, I get it. I shouldn't have shouted, too. It was a stupid way to react. Can we please just forget it ever happened?"

"Why, and forget the reason for this amazing adventure we got to go on? No way!" Phil embraced Dan and pulled him down, so they were lying on the bed. "As the Doctor once said, we're all stories in the end, just make it a good one. And I think ours is really a great one."


End file.
